Pai Sho and Apologies
by turbo denali
Summary: A secret slips out during a prison visit and Asami gets an unexpected response. [Implied Korra x Asami.]


**Spoiler Warning: Takes place right at the end of Book 4 (however it may turn out) and will contain spoilers through all currently aired episodes (Book 4, Ch 5).**

**Note: The one-shot prompt behind this fic was given to me to use for an installment of ****_Mischief and Mishaps_****, but i think it deserves to stand on its own.**

**One-shot prompt: Asami is forced to confront Hiroshi in the Book 4 timeline and her feelings for Korra are accidentally revealed to him.**

**/**

Asami's decision to bring the Pai Sho board was a good one. She knew it would take more than casual chatter over a board game to restore her confidence in her father, but it was a way to move forward. If nothing else, it gave her a chance to take a step back and look at him not from the perspective of an adoring, sheltered daughter, but as an adult and a businesswoman. She'd had nearly four years to come to terms with what happened. The sting of his betrayal still felt sharp and fresh, but at least she could see past her anger and understand why he'd aligned with the Equalists. But even so…

A uniformed guard cleared his throat and ripped her from her wandering thoughts. "Excuse me, Ms. Sato. You can go in now," he said. "Please proceed straight ahead. An officer will escort you through security."

Asami nodded, barely listening. This was her eighth visit in as many weeks and the routine was the same each time. She waited for the platinum door to open with a series of loud clangs before joining a tall metalbender and heading towards the security checkpoint. The guards at the checkpoint emptied her small purse and poked through its contents. As always, they grabbed the Pai Sho board and examined it to ensure she wasn't attempting to smuggle secret messages to her father. It hadn't bothered her the first few times, but now the implied accusation rankled her. She fought to control her frustration and scolded herself. They were simply doing their job, after all. It wasn't their fault that they had to be suspicious of men like Hiroshi Sato.

After only a couple of minutes, the guards wrapped up their inspection, unceremoniously shoved her belongings back into her purse, and waved her through. Asami grabbed her purse without looking at them and walked purposefully towards the double doors at the end of the hall. She used the opportunity to brace herself. Each visit seemed to be getting progressively easier, but she still felt like she had to be on the defensive when she entered the visitation room. Her father could know that Future Industries had been rebuilt. He could know that the company was doing better than ever and had even begun diversifying its projects and investments. He could know that she was behind it all. What he couldn't know - what she wasn't ready to let him know - was anything about herself. Oh, he asked, of course, but she wouldn't answer those questions. He hadn't yet earned that right.

Asami entered the room and looked around. She hated this place. It smelled like too much bleach and not enough fresh air. She spotted her father sitting at a table on the far side of the room. Judging by his appearance, the prison interior was probably far worse than the visitation room. His hair was grey and limp, and the fullness of his cheeks had long ago melted away, leaving him pale and thinner than he had ever been during her childhood. He hadn't yet noticed her and she regarded him the way one might when looking at a wounded animal. It wasn't the first time she made the comparison and Asami doubted it would be her last.

Straightening her shoulders and ignoring the leering looks of more than one male prisoner, Asami strode for the table and sat down. There were no hugs. Hugging wasn't allowed and even if it were, she wasn't sure she was ready for that. Instead, she pulled out the Pai Sho board and launched into the usual barrage of pleasantries. She finished setting up the board and made the first move.

"President Raiko told me that the council is considering issuing a special pardon," she said as casually as if they were still talking about the weather.

That seemed to catch Hiroshi off guard. He pulled at his mustache. "I didn't know they were taking it seriously."

Asami raised a brow and followed his piece as he moved it from one space to another. "Of course they are, dad. That was part of the bargain. You told them how the weapons in Kuvira's mechatanks could be countered and how their design flaws could be exploited. Now they're living up to their end of the deal."

A couple of turns passed before Hiroshi looked across the board, staring at her from under his bushy eyebrows. "You know, I did nothing that you couldn't have done on your own. I appreciate what you did, but you didn't have to," he said.

Asami barely glanced up and saw the sharp, calculating look in his eye - the same one she knew she'd inherited. "Don't get too excited," she said, dodging the indirect allegation. "Even if the council signs off on the president's request, it's only a partial pardon. You'll be under house arrest for three years before you can submit an appeal for parole."

Hiroshi said nothing. He waited for a few more minutes before moving on to a new topic and asking the one question Asami hadn't been expecting. "So, how are your friends doing?"

Asami froze. She knew which friends he was referring to, but this was the first time he'd mentioned the benders he once looked upon as scum and she wasn't quite sure how to answer. She did her best to mask her surprise and tried to play dumb. "What friends?" she asked, plucking a piece from the board and moving to block her father's strategic advance. "I've been too busy to have much of a social life."

Hiroshi sighed. "Asami, I know the things I did were horrible," he said apologetically. "But you have to believe me when I say I'm trying to make amends. I can't do that if you shut me out. I can tell you want to give me a second chance. Please, help me do this."

Asami studied his drooping brow, noting how he suddenly seemed far older than he should have. She chewed her lip and glanced down at the board. The Pai Sho tiles seemed to stare back accusingly. "Mako is doing well. He's a detective now and it's pretty obvious Lin is grooming him to take over when she retires. Bolin is doing well, too." Asami chuckled. "Actually, he's dating Lin's niece. Talk about small world."

Hiroshi hummed his agreement and moved a piece to counter Asami's move. "And are you dating anyone these days? You know, it hurts a father's heart to think of his little girl going through life alone," he said. He frowned when she answered with silence, then shrugged. "Alright then. How about Avatar Korra?"

Asami's hand faltered as she reached for a tile. "What about her?"

Hiroshi raised an eyebrow, mirroring her earlier response. "How is she? I still get the newspaper, you know. I read that she was pretty hurt a while back and she returned only recently to help manage the situation with Kuvira." He leaned back and waited for her to make her move. "I assumed reappearing like that means that she's all better now."

"Ah. Yeah, she's doing better and I think she's coming back to Republic City for good." Asami hoped she didn't look as flustered as she felt. Yes, Korra was back. And yes, she most certainly was feeling better. Korra had made a point of demonstrating just how much better she was feeling when stopped by the mansion to visit Asami and ended up spending the night. But she couldn't tell her dad about that. Not yet.

"I see." Hiroshi nodded and stroked his chin. "I know she probably doesn't think very well of me, but please tell her I said hello when you see her at tomorrow night's gala."

"What do you know about that?" she asked stiffly.

"I read about it in the paper. Everyone is rather excited that she's returned. She's in the newspaper every day. They say she's very different from how she used to be and that you two are quite close."

Asami finally slid a tile to a new spot where it was poised to jump over one of Hiroshi's pieces. "Maybe," she said. "But you and I both know that you can't always believe what's written in those news articles."

Hiroshi wasn't blind to her defensive tone. He shifted in his chair and leaned forward to move his endangered tile. "I know. That's why I pay as much attention to the pictures as the articles. Like the one that was on the front page this morning."

Asami paled. She didn't have to ask him which picture he was referring to. The butler brought her the newspaper while she and Korra ate breakfast. It was the first thing she noticed. Korra had merely laughed and thumped Asami on the back when she nearly spat out her tea and started coughing. The photo had been snapped at a ceremony at Air Temple Island and wouldn't have been at all noteworthy if not for the fact that the two of them were standing a little too close and looking at each other a little too fondly. And it probably didn't help that the picture had been taken right as Korra leaned in to whisper a joke. It wasn't exactly damning evidence, of course, but it was enough to tickle the gossip columnists' fancy.

"Is there something I should know, Asami?"

"Something you should know?" Asami glared at him. "Sure. You should know that my personal life is none of your business, and it hasn't been your business for years," she snapped.

Hiroshi flinched and looked away. "Maybe it's not my business, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop worrying about you."

"There's nothing to worry about! I've done just fine without you, and now that Korra's back, life has gone from _fine_ to _amazing_. And I'm _not_ going to let you ruin that." Asami winced and realized she'd been gripping her Pai Sho tile hard enough to leave an imprint in her palm. She saw the way her father wilted before her and felt ashamed of her outburst. "I just… I'm not going to let your hate for benders overshadow my happiness," she explained calmly.

Hiroshi smiled sadly and shook his head. "That's not it, Asami. I know how you are. You can walk into a room and charm everyone there with hardly any effort, but you're still always so lonely. It takes a lot for you to let someone that close and I'm afraid to see you get hurt."

"Even though you hurt me more than anyone else ever has?" Asami asked in a low voice.

"I… deserve that," said Hiroshi. "There's nothing I can do about the past, but I can still think of the future. And all I want for the future is to see you happy." He sat forward and put his forearms on the table. "So are you happy with her?"

"Yes, dad. I'm happy."

"Then I suppose that's all that matters right now, isn't it?" Hiroshi lifted his hand as if to ruffle her hair the way he did when she was little. He pulled back suddenly, clearly remembering that he wasn't allowed to have physical contact with visitors. "Now, I do believe it's your turn."

Asami gratefully accepted the change in the direction of conversation and took a moment to plan her next few moves. After a short stretch of silence, she decided how to proceed and began to set a trap for her father. He fell into it all too easily and she scowled even though she wasn't truly angry. "You let me win," she said.

Hiroshi laughed. The deep, almost gravelly sound echoed across the room, drawing everyone's attention and filling Asami's ears with the welcome warmth of familiarity. "My dear," he said, "I didn't let you win." He removed his glasses and waved them at the board before wiping the lenses on his shirt. "I stopped taking it easy on you when you were twelve and you beat me in that six-hour game of Pai Sho. I can barely keep up with you."

Asami was interrupted by a guard before she could formulate a reply. She looked up at the uniformed man standing next to her. "Yes?"

"Time's up, ma'am," he said. "Visiting hours are over."

"Right." Asami began to clean off the board and put everything back into her purse.

"Asami."

"Hm?"

"Should I expect to see you next week?" Hiroshi asked, his voice carrying both a note of hopefulness and a twinge of doubt.

The question struck Asami with an unanticipated poignancy. It dawned on her that even though she'd been coming every week for two months, he still half expected her to not show up. Asami gave him a reassuring smile. "Of course, dad."

Asami finished packing up the Pai Sho pieces and left before he could see the tears that trickled down her cheeks. With as much composure as she could muster, she took the most direct path back to her car and started for home. She held herself together through the entire drive. It wasn't until she was in her bedroom that she let herself cry. A pair of strong, dark arms held her steady as Korra and Asami commenced their post-prison visit ritual. Words of comfort were whispered into her neck and Asami relaxed. Yes, it was certainly getting easier with each visit, but it was still difficult.

She could forgive, but she wouldn't forget.


End file.
